Hush
by Lil' Amethyst Angel
Summary: Everyone knows that there is something between them, but nobody says anything because some things just shouldn't be said. SimonMal.


**Hush**

By Lil' Amethyst Angel

Note: This is slash, be warned. Don't like, don't read. I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes.

Kaylee leans against the rail, her attention focused on the jacks and ball next to her. She looks up to smile at River, but the dark-haired girl's attention is captured by the people bellow them. Kaylee turns to see Mal and Simon rush into the room, caught up in some argument. Kaylee frowns. Sometimes she worries about her boys. She doesn't like it when they fight, which is regrettably something they seem to do somewhat often. Something about their personalities just clash.

They're not yelling, but they're not making an effort to be quiet either. The slight echo in the room certainly doesn't help. The captain wants to bring River with them on their next job. Simon, of course, refuses to entertain the notion. Kaylee cringes as she hears a not-so-polite word come from Simon. She looks at the girl beside her, but River is watching wide-eyed with rapt attention.

Kaylee turns back to the pair to find things have calmed. Simon looks uneasy, but Mal puts his hand on Simon's shoulder and the other relaxes slightly. Mal's voice drops, so Kaylee doesn't hear what he says, but it makes Simon smile. Kaylee's eyes twinkle and a grin lights her face, but she turns back to the jacks and continues to play with River.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

Jayne sits quietly on a chair in the infirmary, waiting for the doc to finish up with the captain and come and stitch up his side. He watches as Simon tends to Mal's wounds with gentle, practiced hands. Simon frowns deeply when the captain hisses as he lifts up his shirt. Blossoming bruises of dark blues and purples are scattered around his sides and front. Jayne, even thought he's no doctor, is pretty sure at least one of the ribs are broken. Simon doesn't say anything as he works quickly and efficiently, continuing to patch up the captain as best he can.

Jayne pretends not to notice when Simon's hand lingers on the captain's arm. He pretends not to see the worry that is so obvious in the doctor's eyes. He ignores the reassuring half-smile Mal shoots Simon. He feigns oblivion when the captain catches the doctor's hand and squeezes it lightly before letting go.

After all, it's not as if this affects him. He's still getting his money and the doc is still keeping his loopy sister away from him. Why shouldn't he ignore it?

Some things just shouldn't be said.

Book sees the captain leave the infirmary as he walks down the corridor. Book steps in to say hello to Simon, since he is passing by anyways. He has no doubt Simon will be there after seeing Mal's expression as he left- contented.

The older man catches the soft smile on Simon's face as he enters. The two begin to talk until they are interrupted by shrieks from the hallway. Book recognizes them as River's and follows Simon as he rushes out. River is huddled against a wall mumbling incoherently. Simon coaxes her away from the wall and into the infirmary where he proceeds to calm her down from her fit. Book looks sadly at the siblings.

Book knows both Mal and Simon are broken men. Both have gotten lost on the path. He may be a shepherd, but he can't save every soul. Sometimes, they need to save themselves. Sometimes, they need help. In this case, he isn't the one who can help. So, he will leave the helping to someone else and will not interfere.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

Inara smiles to herself whenever she catches a hint of an unhappy look from Simon when she flirts with Mal. She flirts with the captain and he flirts back. That's the way things are. But nothing has ever happened as she knows, even if Simon doesn't, that nothing ever will.

Inara is very adept when it comes to recognizing emotions and feelings. She has to be in her line of work. She was the first to recognize the change between the two. She said nothing, not wanting to scare them away from whatever was forming between them. Now she doubts she would scare them, but it has become an unwritten rule to remain silent on the subject.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

Wash first notices one random day while Simon and Mal are talking, just talking. That's all. Wash notices a change and wonders when it happened and how he missed it before. He doesn't mention this change though; he doesn't want to get beaten up.

Now, he'll listen to their conversations sometimes, _really_ listen, and the change becomes more obvious, more prominent. He starts to catch looks and touches and meanings behind words and he wonders if maybe he _should_ say something. He'll cast a questioning glance at his wife and she'll shake her head, and he'll leave it.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

Zoe discreetly watches from her seat as the captain sips his coffee while the doctor does the same next to him. They're both still caught in the haze of sleep. She can tell, as Simon leans slightly into the captain's warmth. She suppresses a smirk.

Zoe admits that at first she was worried. She wasn't sure if what they did was a good idea, but as time went on, she accepted it. It wasn't hurting the captain.

The captain is a private person. Zoe has always known this. He is the type who likes to keep his relationship private and she respects that.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

River skips around the room, humming to herself. Simon and Mal are talking in hushed tones. Shush, hush, must be quiet. River doesn't know why they bother. She is the only other one in the room and she knows what they are saying anyway.

River twirls, twirls, twirls. She knows what they do when no one else is around. Yes, she knows. Of course she does. They think she doesn't, which is foolish, they should know she knows. Not just because she always knows, but because she is Simon's sister. Sisters know these things, after all.

Jump. Skip. Spin. The captain makes Simon smile. And not just on the outside. River likes Simon's smiles; she's missed them terribly. As long as the captain makes her brother smile, River will be happy. But if he ever hurts her Simon, she will hurt him…very, very badly. Twirl. Skip. Giggle.

Some things just shouldn't be said.

They aren't what is considered a 'normal' couple. They don't whisper sweet nothings as they pass each other in the halls. They don't play footsie under the table during dinner. There's no hand-holding or sweet pet names.

When both are hopeless- when Mal can't remember what's right and what's wrong anymore and Simon can't remember that time when she wasn't broken, and neither remember why they continue to fight- that's when they look to each other. That is when they seek the comfort and the answers the other will give.

And then they remember why, and so they don't need each other any longer. Mal goes back to being the captain and Simon goes back to being the doctor.

They continue to fight, because now they remember how.

Then later that night, when all of the crew sits around the table for dinner, Simon will smile at Mal and Mal will smile back, and no one will say anything, because some things don't need to be said.


End file.
